Man and Child
by Kalys
Summary: A mystery journal is dropped off for Duncan and Methos. Who is the writer and what trouble do they bring with them?


_I was born with the dawning of time, to a land newborn and waiting to be shaped. With the help of others of my kind we made the earth flourish with green and the waters sparkle blue. On to this peaceful place came the animals, living in harmony with those already there. The cat, the horse, and the eagle became the helpers of my kind, sharing with us our tasks and keeping all in peace. Then, however, came a darkness upon the land. It overtook many kin, changing them into vile creatures that killed not for sustenance but for raw enjoyment, taking delight in the pain of another. We tried to stop them with words and we were overrun. And so we went into hiding, we the firstborns, alone. And as time passed and our sundered kin made to reshape the world to darkness, we came to set things right. Yet the seed had been planted and could not be destroyed, so we strove for a balance and gathered all the darkness growing and all the light remaining and bound them together in a new creation, man. In such a way our balance was achieved, for though in some men darkness ruled, in others the light was bright._

_The years passed into decades, decades into centuries, and centuries into millennia, and then the child was born. This one was different from all of his kind, for inside of him was a core of the brightest light possible surrounded by the deepest darkness which hid all but a small portion of the light. And so as he aged, he used one or the other. When he discovered his immortality, as being a child of a fistborn union grants all their offspring, his darkness erupted though this new outlet of his being. And so in the later ages the Horsemen were born. It was truly a dark time. For even though this one had the most darkness, he found three others with a darkness to rival his own. Time passed and many firstborns and their children were killed as the Horsemen crossed the land; the destruction in their wake formed of death, plague, famine, and war, and so they took upon these new names. Yet in one, the darkness diminished as the years passed, letting the light finally shine through to counteract the darkness. Then Death came no more and the child was again free to choose his own path as he wished. He chose to walk a line between the light and the dark, for neither was stronger than the other. Again time passed and the child became a man, understanding both light and dark, yet choosing neither, for with only one he burnt with the light or froze with the dark._

_The time came when another was born, a child to match the first, yet for him the light outshone the darkness, and could find no path free. When the child discovered his immortality, darkness slowly found a way to influence him. Then came the day that these two met, the man running from his past returned, the child growing embittered with the life he now was forced to live. The meeting was one of extremes, the man coming to the child, offering his life to defeat his past. The child refused and protected the man as they both fought the past returned. In this meeting, a beginning, a bond was formed between the two, unknown to either yet special. The bond remained strong even as it faltered with each learning of the other, but the bond always mended to be stronger._

There was silence in the room as Methos, known to the world as Adam Pierson, finished reading the obvious journal entry on the letter. Downstairs in the dojo, the doorbell chimed as someone entered the building; no one moved for a span of time. Methos slowly made his way to the refrigerator and grabbed six bottles of beer. Draining two bottles in the time it took to pass some out to the other three people in the room, Methos returned to his seat, sprawled out on the couch with Duncan MacLeod, of the Clan MacLeod, supporting his back. Richard Ryan, Duncan's adopted son, and Joe Dawson, friend and watcher, were seated across the two in the armchair, one with a look of shock, the other contemplating the meanings.

Again the bell chimed from downstairs, and this time it generated movement in the upstairs loft apartment. Duncan slid out from behind Methos and went to the elevator going to the dojo. Before closing the gate to the car, he softly stated, "Read them the next part while I go see what's happening downstairs." Then the gate closed and it was only the three left in the room.

"There's more?" asked Joe, whom was still pondering these words and the consequences of someone unknown knowing such detail of the two immortals he was privileged to call friend. Methos nodded in reply and sarcastically said, "Of course, why wouldn't it continue with other secrets." He then started reading the next section.

_I fear true contact with these two cannot be made, for I would rather not let the other watchers know of my existence, or for my sundered kin knowing how closely I care for these two. The aching of my heart though is too hard to ignore, so I have turned my attention to those in the shadows with the '"V'. The blue tattoo makes them easy to spot and I have found them to be knowledgeable of the younger children and only a few of the older ones. However, this knowledge has cost both the children and their mortal watchers in lives as those swayed to darkness prey on those of the light. This past outbreak between the two claimed many of the light as well as those of the dark._

_As I watch the mortal who watches my two, I see that he truly cares about them and has taken them in as friends to be guarded. I like this one who knows both war and peace and chooses the kinder. In these past few years I have also watched the child take another into his care, a son. I rejoice in this, the continuation of my family. And so, with the sundered closing in on my presence, I cast free from my doubts and send these four, my family, this record in the hopes of the chance for them to know of me. Methos, Duncan, Richie, Joe, your protection falls upon the family._

The passage brought a frown to Joe's face, but before anything could be spoken at the ending, the sound of shattering glass could be heard, followed by a stretch of silence and another crash. At this point, Methos had already jumped up off of the couch and was racing for the stairs to the lower level. Richie and Joe were close behind Methos and slammed into his back as Methos froze in the doorway, desperately trying to deny the scene in front of him.

Cut and bleeding from various places, Duncan appeared to be unconscious on the floor with a man standing over him, also bleeding, holding a sword to Duncan's neck. With a harsh voice after he shook his paralysis, Methos asked, "Who are you and what do you want?" By this time, both Richie and Joe had managed to walk out from behind Methos and were now standing next to their friend, each with their own personal weapon of choice close at hand.


End file.
